A S P I R A T I O N S A publication of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts Institute, the non-profit support organization of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts|Riverfront

COMING HOME

TO

NOCCA|RIVERFRONT

JUN

E 20

06

OUR STORIES

Carlton Barzon

Lakeview

It was a sunny Friday afternoon when we left the hotel in downtown New Orleans. It had been five days since my par-ents or I had bathed or seen past the French Quarter. We hadn’t had power or water since the day before the storm. Looters roamed the streets unchecked by a nonexistent police force, and mental patients and drug addicts vandalized prop-erty and terrorized random passersby.

Luckily, the resourceful hotel staff had managed to provide a steady supply of food, water, and fuel, but ever since an armed gang took over the hotel next to us and tried to do the same with ours, we knew we couldn’t stay much longer. The final and greatest threat to our lives was an out of control fire, set by the looters across the street. It threatened to com-

bust a propane tank nestled on the roof. The hotel manager issued an order to evacuate.

In a room facing the fire on the seventh floor, we were the ones in the most danger, but that was not a sudden realization. For half an hour, we watched the building get slowly consumed by flames, then great billows of smoke pour out from the building.

While the sight was terrible, it was also magnificent. I edged closer to the large balcony window, daring it to burst with every step. I placed my hands on the glass as a challenge and felt the heat radiating through it, my palms burning. I wanted to show nature that nothing could shake me, that if this was her idea of finishing me off, then she was mistaken. It was then that we felt a gigantic, guttural heave. A sudden burst of flame shook the bottom levels of the building, shattering a massive storefront and rocketing shards of glass into the street below. I felt as broken as the window, smashed into tiny, innumerable pieces.

By noon, we were soaked with sweat, and hurriedly collected the few belongings we brought with us, knowing that we’d soon get out and escape the chaos, anticipating the simple routines we had taken for granted: home cooked meals, air conditioning, and, most of all, showers.

After retrieving our car from a nearby lot we loaded up, said our prayers, and headed out. We sped home on Poydras Street, heading toward our blessed Elysian Fields. Even as we noticed spray-painted signs made by fed-up property owners threaten-ing looters with certain death, and the destruction evident even on the most impressive skyscrapers, we still thought of home and its comforts, thinking ourselves exempt from the destruction.

Suddenly, we were all jerked forward as the car came to a screeching halt. As far as we could see down Poydras, water bar-ricaded our path: a murky sea, laden with debris. We knew that beyond it there was no home. We turned around without a word.

CollageMegan LincksVisual Arts, Level II

NOCCA|Riverfront’s students have incorporated their Hurricane Katrina experiences into their art, be it the visual arts, the performing arts or creative writing. Two stories by Creative Writing students are excerpted below and on page 12 from the department’s publication, Umbra. For a copy of Umbra call Creative Writing at 504.940.2787 in August.

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DEAR FRIENDS

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Pre-Katrina Jan - June Fall Aug 2005 2006 2006

Term-Time Enrollment

Dear Friends of NOCCA|Riverfront,

For three decades, students have considered The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts to be home --- a place where they are engaged, alive. Within days of the storm, their first calls and e-mails were to their NOCCA|Riverfront teachers. When could they return to NOCCA? How could they continue their training? Arts schools across the country also called immediately. They wanted to help and graciously provided a temporary home to many of our students. Some students, however, could not find anything comparable to NOCCA| Riverfront in the cities where their families evacuated and terribly missed this learning environment.

NOCCA|Riverfront’s reputation as one of the finest educational institutions of its kind, we have learned, does precede it. Within weeks, the Institute began receiving calls and e-mails from individuals, organizations and foundations from across the country and the globe, asking what our greatest needs were or telling us they were conducting a fundraiser. They recognized that the soul of New Orleans is our culture, and to an important degree the foundation of that cul-ture lies in the knowledge passed on every day to young artists at NOCCA.

We cannot begin to express to these individuals and organizations, as well as to the local foundations and businesses that stepped forward with greater sup-port than ever, how inspirational their generosity has been. As the special June Intensive Session drew to a close, we saw students back on track and filled with an enthusiasm and sense of purpose that easily could have been lost. To this end, NOCCA|Riverfront’s CEO & President, Gary Alan Wood, faculty, staff, board and parents, and The NOCCA Institute’s staff and board earn our highest commendation for not just surviving in trying circumstances, but thriving.

Through circuitous routes and six satellite sites, we have returned home. Enroll- ment from January through June was 65% of pre-Katrina levels. Auditions are running higher than normal, and enrollment for the upcoming school year is expected to be 85% of pre-Katrina levels. We know that nourishing our young people’s creative talents and skills will invigorate and strengthen not only their lives, but also the cultural vitality so central to our city’s rebirth. We know, too, that we owe a debt of gratitude to so many this year. Thank you.

Madalyn Schenk Sally PerryPresident Executive Director

VISITING AND GUEST ARTISTS

Renowned jazz pianist MCCOY TYNER was among several acclaimed musicians conducting master classes with music stu-dents this semester. He critiqued student performances, spoke of his own path in music and offered them straightforward advice. “You should all compose; you will learn how music is put together and you never know what you hear rhythmi-cally or melodically that is different from someone else. You will learn something from every musical experience. But listen to them being cognizant of the fact that you can never be like them. You have your own voice.”

“You’re only as good as the musicians you play with,” GRAMMY-Award win-ning singer BONNIE RAITT began as she introduced pianist Jon Cleary, who joined her in a very special master class for Music and Media Arts students. Ms. Raitt particularly focused on the blues, early blues artists, and the thread blues has woven through subsequent music styles. “I thought the blues was my dad’s music, but I’m so inspired to investigate it now,” said one student. Ms. Raitt also generously donated CD’s to each student present.

T.S. MONK and members of The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz band worked intensely with jazz students dur-ing their tour across Katrina ravaged states. “The beauty of the music is that it is incredibly personal,” the educator and drummer told students. “It takes a long time to sound like yourself. But what you are learning is priceless. The audience is not going to say what a wonderful B flat. They will only know that you moved them. Always bring the passion. That should be your first reaction out of the gate.”

Legendary jazz drummer CHICO HAMILTON conducted a master class with jazz students in conjunction with his CENTER STAGE public perfor-mance during the special June Intensive Instructional Session. “Take pride in what you do — in yourself and as a profes-sional musician. If you have class at 9:00 a.m., you should be there at least at 8:45 a.m. warming up your instrument,” he told students. He emphasized proficiency in the basic elements of jazz, encouraging students to practice counting a four bar phrase until they could “feel it in their bones.”

Violin virtuoso MARK FELDMAN is classically trained, but probably best known for his performances with the top improvisers and composers of the ‘80s and ‘90s in avant-garde jazz and new music. In conjunction with a performance at the Contemporary Arts Center, Feldman and his wife, pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, performed for music students in March. “Violins have been made with the same tools for 400 years. The sounds of violins cannot be replicated on computer.” He urged students to investigate all types of music, and to try meld musical sytles in innovative ways.

“Design is the fun part; that’s what I want the most time for, so the more efficient I am with up-front planning the better,” New York City Ballet lighting designer MARK STANLEY told Theatre Design students as he went through script, light plots, light rendering, instrument sched-ules, equipment listings, color cuts, cue lists, follow-spot cues, focus charts and magic sheets for unit and multiple set shows. “Theatre is a mistress, she demands a lot of you. You have to love it. And you have to understand that your generation will in turn create a new kind of art from what mine did. That’s a good thing.”

VISITING AND GUEST ARTISTSAs a would-be teen age trumpet player, commenta-tor, author and voice-over artist SARAH VOWELL (public radio’s This American Life, Assassination Vacation, The Incredibles) listened to Louis Armstrong every night as a 13-year-old. “He would sing, ‘Look into your eyes divine/feel the touch of your lips on mine.’ But then he would do it again and say, ‘I feel the touch of yo chops all wrapped up amongst mine.’ I knew instinctively that ‘touch of yo chops’ was better writing, less generic. He was teaching me to write. Now when I edit I always say, ‘less your lips, more yo chops.” Learning to mine words for meaning and delve deeply into history, animation story-telling or character development was a common message given to Creative Writing, Media Arts and Drama students by Sarah and her friends, Academy Award-nominated director BENNETT MILLER (Capote) and Obie Award-winning actor, playwright, screenwriter and novelist ERIC BOGOSIAN (Talk Radio). “Fear is a good thing, it vaporizes vanity,” Miller told students who asked how to get started in Hollywood. “The rule seems to be to master the task at hand. Truly put yourself into it and it will lead you to the next level. The most basic truth about directing is to have a vision. Reject until you see something right, and have faith in your instincts.” Bogosian also spoke of following his insticts in first developing his now well-known monologues and solo shows. “I learned to write by improving characters and monologues,” explained Bogosian before treating Creative Writing students to a reading of a monolgue in character where they could see first-hand the marriage and magic of words and acting. He also animatedly addressed Media Arts and Drama student’s questions on character development, screenwriting, and advice for the first day on the set. “If you never got paid,” he in turn asked them, “would you still do this? You have to know that.” “I wanted to come here because I really believe in this school,” said Sarah who started organizing these visits almost imediately after the storm. “This school is one of the most impressive educational institutions in the country, and though it will take years for New Orleans to recover, you still have so much in this school.”

Italian and Elizabethan history, acting technique and staging impact, human nature and self-discovery – Stella Adler Studio lead teacher JAMES TRIPP mold-ed these together in a highly challenging and inspirational week-long residency with Drama students. “The arc of Romeo is the boy becomes a man,” Mr. Tripp elu-cidated to a Studio III student preparing a Shakespearian monologue for his senior recital. “He’s in the process of learning in this scene. For all of us, the lessons in life that change us most profoundly are purchased at the cost of suffering.” In transforming student to actor, Mr. Tripp required thinking on multiple levels. “Good,” he told another student who knew what she did wrong, “if you real-ize it, you can teach yourself next time.”

IAN WOOLDRIDGE, Dean, British Academy of Dramatic Arts in London and Midsummer in Oxford Program, and former artistic director of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh also con-ducted an extended residency with drama students in June. He required students to play — and adapt — a role to four different audiences and worked with them on the differences between film and stage acting. “Imagination is the most important mus-cle in your being. The more you exercise it the more it will grow,” he encouraged students.

“At the top of your s p e e c h about this serious sub-ject, you had a little smile. What was that about?” a s k e d , t h e a t r i c a l playwright/p r o d u c e r (One Mo’ Time) and choreographer (RAY) VERNEL BAGNERIS. To another Musical Theatre student in his master class on charac-ter development: “You understand the character’s emotions from knowing the whole play, but those you are auditioning for see only the monologue. How can you let them understand?” Using multi-layered reasoning and physicality, students fine-tuned their monologues with repeated practice. “That was inspiring,” said Mr. Bagneris as a student retooled his perfor-mance. “Thank you.”

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I was an average student at NOCCA in the Visual Arts department. I don’t think I did anything outstanding while I was here. But that’s ok. I was interested. NOCCA helped me focus my creativity and learn how to express myself using new tools my teachers provided...and I’m not talking about charcoal and drawing paper. For the first time I had the opportunity to think outside the box.

I never thought some weird middle class art kid from a small town like me would get the chance to travel. I never thought I’d make it to Europe, or Dubai, or Vietnam, or step inside Mandela’s tiny cell in South Africa, get Mont-ezuma’s revenge in India...I never thought I’d call my mom while I was standing on a pyramid in Egypt. But I did.

NOCCA and New Orleans opened doors for me.

New Orleans has taken some hits lately. I know, you’ve heard too much of it. But Katrina has forced each of us to face something. Not that New Orleans is shaped like a bowl, not that refrigerators make a really good place for clever slogans.

Katrina forced us to realize that we’re alive. And life is delicate. Life can be drowned, it can be left behind, it can be wasted.

A lot of people helped New Orleans out during the disaster. But in the end, and it’s a harsh reality, we are alone in this world. Only you can fulfill your dream. That’s your responsibility and no one else’s. Whether you want to do Shakespeare or be the next Basquait, Burroughts or Baryshnikov, it’s not “just going to happen.” You won’t “be discovered.” If you want something, you have to put yourself on the line. It’s up to you.

Just because you “lost everything,” don’t give yourself an excuse to slack off. We all lost something. Some more than others.

I think we all learned that life isn’t about collecting THINGS. Things come and go. Art isn’t about making things. It’s more than a film, a CD, a canvas. It’s about sharing an idea, the beauty of human expression.

So what do you want to say with your art? One thing that your art will be about is New Orleans. Because YOU ARE New Orleans, whether you live here or not. If you evacuated, you probably got a peek at what the rest of the country looks like. Tennessee, Mississippi, Minnesota, Houston. Those places are clearly not New Orleans. We now have something more than red beans, Jazz and a week off from school during Mar-di Gras that connects us...we have a common bond, a new history and we have a responsbility to New Orleans which has given us so much.

Now you must tell us something new about New Orleans. Let the artist’s voice be heard.

So, what do you need to take away from these last few minutes as a “student,” before you graduate into the real world. Here are some things that I’ve picked up along the way that I thought might be helpful...a list of slogans you might that find on say...a refrigerator.

Don’t dream. Make a list of goals that are “just that far” beyond your reach, then set a deadline and go for it. Stick to it. Many of the people I know don’t persevere. Never rest on your laurels. Invest in yourself. You are not only an artist, you are a business. Don’t show up late for work. Allow yourself a little time to procrastinate...but just a little. Look, it’s going to happen. Just don’t get stupid about it. Nobody likes a brown-noser. Be your own person. Take rists. It’s the only way you’ll ever get ahead.

The last thing to say is actually something I want you to do for me. Do this today. Thank your parents. Thank your teachers. Thank them for realizing that you have potential. And you do. You know why? Because you went to NOCCA.

Anthony Domenici (far left) led a week-long residency with Media Arts students as they created and produced film shorts on Katrina sto-ries. Landscape painter Ele-more Morgan, Jr., (this page, right), speaks with Visual Arts students at NOMA.

CELEBRATIONAlumnus, director and Emmy Award-winning producer of The Amazing Race ANTHONY DOMENICI (below right with Media Arts chair Paul Werner) delivered this year’s Celebration keynote address. Below are excerpts from his speech.

FINANCIAL AID

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JUNE SESSION FINANCIAL AID ROOM AND BOARD PROGRAM

Coming home to NOCCA|Riverfront was extra special for students who are still displaced with their families across the country. Following fall’s lost train-ing time and budget cuts, NOCCA|Riverfront instituted the First Instructional Session, January – May, 2006; and the Second Intensive Instructional Session held in June. The Second Session was intended for first session students to com-plete a full year’s curriculum, but also for displaced students to return to their training at NOCCA and, where possible, complete requirements toward their Certificates of Artistry. In response, The Institute created the June Session Fi-nancial Aid Initiative to fund room and board so students in need could partici-pate. The need, though, was more than just financial. “It was at a ‘regular high school’ where I evacuated that I truly realized how much I missed NOCCA,” said one student. “I had become so accustomed to being in an environment where the focus was always art and creativity that it took me a while to adjust to having to work on visual arts in a smaller environment for only 45 minutes a day. I longed for more experi-ences and people to learn from.” So, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. every day for five weeks, displaced students (above) again worked with their teachers, peers and nationally noted visiting artists. As another student said, “What you have done in supporting my time here is one of the most precious gifts someone could have given me. Thank you.”

Helen A. Mervis Award for artistic and academic achievement and community service was awarded to Chelsea Barker.

The Robert Acosta Memorial Scholarship in Media Arts was awarded to Devin Lawrence.

The Lisa Marie Catalanello Memorial Scholarship for visual arts achievement and generosity of spirit was awarded to Mark Waguespack.

The Daniel Price Memorial Scholarship for Aspiring Young Artists was awarded to Charles Chaisson, Jr.

Seth Daniel P. Memorial Award for multi-disciplinary artistic accomplishment was awarded to Derek Mitchell Blanco.

The Gary Barnett and Charles Jefferson Scholarship for visual arts achievement by an Orleans Parish student was awarded to Syphne Sylve.

2005-06 SENIOR AWARDSLee and Kathy Randall Award in Creative Writing -- Anya WorkCox Communications Award in Media Arts -- Brighton LingeMilly and George Denegre Award in Dance -- Jacqyue’kya LeeMake It Funky Film Producers Award in Jazz -- Nicholas SandersGlennadora & James H. Perry Award in Vocal Music -- Elizabeth EvansFreda M. Lupin Award in Musical Theatre -- Erica LanghoffKuumba-Keener Award in Theatre -- Michael JeffersonFannie Casey Award in Theatre Design -- David C. RigmerThe NOCCA Institute Collection Award (Visual Arts Purchase) -- Charles Chaisson, Jr. and Jonathan Taube

The NOCCA Institute pro-vided over $110,000 in T e r m - T i m e , Summer Study and June Ses-sion Room And

Board Aid to students in 2006-07.

95% of students still displaced from Hurricane Katrina who took advantage of the residential pro-gram during the June Session did so via full support from the NOC-CA Institute through the generous support of The RosaMary Founda-tion, Mercy Corps, Emeril Lagasse Foundation, Save the Children, GPOA Foundation and United Way for Greater New Orleans Area.

NOCCA|Riverfront 2006 graduates (69) earned $4.25 million in schol-arships to college.

HONORS & OUTSTANDING GRADUATE AWARDS

THANK YOU

FINANCIAL\\

Zemurray FoundationSelley FoundationThe Times-PicayuneWhitney National BankLouisiana Cultural Economy FoundationFrost FoundationChevroletGoldring Family Foundation & Woldenberg FoundationHelis FoundationEugenie & Joseph Jones Family FoundationWood EnterprisesGustaf Westfeld McIlhenny Family FoundationTrumpet AdvertisingOlinde Family FoundationCarol B. and Kenneth J. Boudreaux Foundation Inc.Heymann Wolf FoundationCahn Family FoundationCaroline P. and Charles W. Ireland FoundationHilton Corp.

Fertel Family FoundationKeller Family Foundation

RosaMary FoundationJoe W. & Dorothy Dorsett Brown FoundationAnita & Kurt Schon FoundationEntergyEmeril Lagasse FoundationGPOA FoundationKeller Family FoundationEugenie & Joseph Jones Family FoundationRebuild New Orleans Fund/Greater New Orleans FoundationReily FoundationFrost FoundationUnited Way for Greater New Orleans AreaAnn Israel and Herbert Rothschild, The Leonie D. Rothschild Memorial FundThe Patrick and Phyllis Taylor Fund

Tom and Mary-Kate Tews

Capital OneLouisiana Division of the Arts

Contemporary Arts CenterGibson Musical InstrumentsLee Ledbetter & Shelly Meneses89.9 WWNO

Jeri & Marty AcostaGary Barnett & Charles JeffersonLisa Marie Catalanello Memorial FundCox CommunicationsGeorge & Milly DenegreFreda M. Lupin Memorial FundMake It Funky! Film ProducersSeth Daniel P. Memorial FundSally PerryDaniel Price Memorial Fund for Aspiring ArtistsKathy & Lee Randall

Entergy TimeWarner

The NOCCA Institute is honored to recognize the following support, memorials and gifts for 2005-06. We apologize for any errors or omissions.

IN-KIND

CENTER STAGE

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE

GENERAL SUPPORT FINANCIAL AID

SENIOR AWARD UNDERWRITERS

LIBRARY ARCHIVES

2005-06 Matching Gift Companies

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GLOBAL SUPPORT

Each gift received this year from individuals nationwide, schools holding bake sales, and new and established foundations, propelled The NOCCA Institute and students forward. The list below includes individuals and schools who organized fundraisers. We would like to recognize for their leadership support and significant generosity Crescent City Relief Fund, Credit Suisse, Fomento Social Banamex and the Higher Ground Foundation.

Fomento Social BanamexCrescent City Relief Fund

Higher Ground FoundationMonica Hernandez & the Musicians of Merida, Yucatan

Paul Wells and Friends from OttawaNancy & Dennis Delman, Evanston, IL

San Francisco School of the ArtsCab Calloway School of the Arts

Riverside College DancePerpich Center for Arts EducationDuke Ellington School of the Arts

Sarah GuzyBoston Arts Academy

Erie Art MuseumThe NOLA Project, NY

Amelie Gillelette & Randall Snare, NYPatricia Morrison, MA

Credit Suisse

Mercy CorpsSave the Children

Newman’s OwnLos Angeles County High School for the Arts

French American Cultural ExchangeSebastopol California Rotary ClubHerbert Hoover Middle School, CA

Mt. Pleasant Middle School, NJVail Performing Arts Academy, CA

Agnes Irwin School, PAWest Leyden High School, IL

Central High SchoolSpringside High School, PA

University of Iowa School of MusicDNA Arts, Niagara, Canada

Liberty High School, CA

Unionville High, CanadaEmergency Fund for Dancers, NY

FINANCIAL AID

GENERAL SUPPORT

ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE

PROGRAM EXPANSION

$5,000 +BellSouthDavid Weiner Marian Bright

$1,000 +Callan Fine Art GalleryJames FarrowLyn & John FischbachCharles W. IrelandAnne & King MillingMary NelsonKim & Brian PrivorBonnie RaittKathy & Lee RandallElaine van Der LindenWilla & Tim SlaterDavas WilliamBetty Wisdom

$500+Marion N. AmberIan ArnofAnonymousJack BelsomCarey BondBruce F. ChaffinGeorge DanskerRichard O’KrepkiHenry LambertKathy & Steve F. Price, Jr.The Stephen L. and Caroline W. Sontheimer FundTania TetlowMary Zervigon

$250+Jane BoriesAllan B. ColleyMr. & Mrs. Arthur A. Crais, Jr.Pat & Frank DevlinFranklin L. Gagnard Gail & Arnold GelfandJulie & Edward GeorgeDiane GordonPer JacobsonMary S. JeandronPeter Averill LaCourJames MonroeAnn & Larry B. RabinMaitland SandersMadalyn & Robert SchenkMichael SchneiderMr. & Mrs. Earl Siems

$100 +Robert AndersonMrs. Robert AyerstVernel BagnerisMargaret BeerGail BergerKimberly & Matthew BergerCarole & Joe BoudreauxPat BourgeoisMr. & Mrs. John S. BowmanNicole BernsteinThomas C. BralyMilton BrenerFay BrightMr. & Mrs. Daniel BrittAnthony BurglassChed Group CorporationBrook Clagett & David RhodesGretchen DangeloThomas De MarsLouis Dunoyer de SegonzacPhilippe DunoyerDupuy Forwarding & StorageEcosystems InternationalJ. Ollie EdmundsWhitney FislerDr. & Mrs. Carl FranklinMrs. John FreibergBeverly & Steve FriedmanLinda & Richard FriedmanGerald GausMarion GayDr. & Mrs. Juan GershanikJim H. GrayMr. & Mrs. Howard GreenJudith Grose, M.D.Candis HarbisonR. HarmanProf. & Mrs. Oliver HouckMr. & Mrs. Harley HowcottRene HudsonMr. & Mrs. Conrad IngoldDr. & Mrs. Bernard JaffeJeffrey KargmanNina KellyMr. & Mrs. Rick KirschmanStanley KolberJoel MagueClarence MahCam ManghamRobert MazurMr. & Mrs. Donald MeyerKatie & Bill MondoraPatricia MorrisonMrs. Jeri NimsCorinne NiosiCasius PealerMr. & Mrs. Leon RittenbergLance RothenbergMr. & Mrs. James RyanJosephine Sacabo & Dalt WonkDr. Michael SartiskyAndrew Schiro

Alan SchoenfeldAnn SchwabDr. & Mrs. Jay ShamesMs. Maureen SheaJames ShueyLaurie C. ShulmanSally SushanDiana Tomaro & Eric SingdahlsenMary-Kate & Tom TewsRichard VossMr. & Mrs. Hugo WedemeyerDr. & Mrs. Roy WeinerRobyn & Craig WelterJohn WileJohn Williams

In memory of Renna GodchauxCarey BondHenry Lambert

In memory of Freda M. LupinDr. & Mrs. Kenneth Sakauye

Daniel Price Memorial Fund for Aspiring ArtistsDr. & Mrs. Carl DicharryWarren A. Griggs II & Barbara SmithDr. Richard LevineGregg MerrickKathy & Steve PriceStacy ThieleGregg SollDia & John WalshGayle, Lindsey & Stephen Young

In memory of Lynn Marie Conway Illes Towards the Daniel Price Memorial FundAliana Apodaca & William S. ThurmondMargaret & Owen BradleyJo-Ann Couvillon & FamilyDavid HolmesMr. & Mrs. James HolmesCelina IllesDwane Illes & FamilyStephanie & Brett LandryMichael J. McKayKathy & Steve PriceVarner Brokerage, Inc.Wolf Insurance Investment

MEMBERSHIPWith great gratitude, we acknowledge our members’ support and their dedication to educational and artistic excellence. (Members at the $100 level and above as of June 30, 2006.) We apologize for any errors or omissions.

2005-2006 Members

IN MEMORIAM

GALA

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The NOCCA Institute gratefully acknowledges the support of all our sponsors, patrons and guests of this year’s Art & Soul Gala, with a special thank you to Louis and Sandra Trout Wilson who chaired the event. Featuring performances by Theresa Andersson, Michael Pellera and Troy Andrews, a dinner buffet and our famous silent auction, it was a night to celebrate and remember. We are honored to recognize spon-sors at the $750 level and above:

THE LUPIN FOUNDATION

Corporate SponsorsAdams and Reese LLPBanner Chevrolet/FordBruno and Bruno LLPCrescent Bank and TrustHurwitz MintzIberia BankJones Walker LLPThe Kirschman Family Latter and Blum, Inc.Legier & Materne, apacMcDermott International, Inc.Meraux Charitable FoundationPatrick F. Taylor FoundationPeople’s Health NetworkAnita & Kurt SchonWhitney National Bank

T.G. Solomon/Gulf States TheatersTexas Roadhouse/Juli Miller Hart

SustainerAmSouthDavid DavasMary DodwellLeslie JacobsSteve Manshel & Skip O’ConnorSharron & George MasseyDr. & Mrs. Steve PriceDr. Tim RyanMit Seiler & Marshall LeeDr. & Mrs. Harold StokesWestbank Rotary ClubLouis & Sandra Trout Wilson

BenefactorsMichael BagnerisBaptist Community MinistriesElizabeth A. BohDoug & Anne BrinkleyMr. & Mrs. Christian T. BrownJohn Casbon/First American Title Insurance CompanyGeorge Denegre, Jr.Nan & Britt GallowayJulie & Ted GeorgeMary LangloisPaula MaharMartha W. MurphyRestaurant AugustPam & Bill RyanEdith & Jack SassoneJoyce L. SchenewerkMadalyn & Robert SchenkJane & William Sizeler

ART & SOUL GALA 2006

MR. & MRS. ROBERT J. GUIDRY

HILTON RIVERSIDE NEW ORLEANSREGIONS BANK OF LOUISIANA

PHELPS DUNBAR LLP

CAPITAL ONEBELLSOUTHIntaglio PrintMolly TullierVisual Arts, Level I

In memory of Robert AcostaJeri & Marti AcostaLilly, Ronald, Roddie & Jesi Riera

In memory of Lisa Marie Catalanello Pam & Bill CatalanelloDeidre Rafferty CullenBlair GriffenRansford R. Richardson

In memory of Sonia Baralt SandersMr. & Mrs. Ricardo AlonsoMr. & Mrs. Jose AriasHelen, Bronwyn & Brandon BaraltDeborah Borman & FamilyHarriet C. BregmanMr. & Mrs. Martin BregmanBeatrice FaracJennifer GuidryLucille HollenbeckMr. & Mrs. R. C. HollenbeckJan JamesBruce KalmoeMr. & Mrs. Paul KalmoeSteven & Suzanne LuterCol. & Mrs. Russell McClintockMary Ellen PierceMickey PriceRob SandersSmoothie KingMr. & Mrs. Ray Willoughby & FamilyMelissa WilsonKathryn WohlXiao Cheng Wu, Ke Xiao & Xiao Xiao

OUR STORIES

Valissa RosemondSlidell

Right before you turn on Pecan Street, you try to envision what the house looked like a month ago. The only pink house for a twenty mile radius, the color always reminded you of what cream cheese frosting would like like if it was mixed with Pepto-Bismol. When you asked your Paw-Paw why he decided to paint the house pink he laughed and said, “I just wanted to make squirrel mad.” Squirrel was what he called my grandmother ever since the day she was standing underneath a tree and a squirrel landed on top of her head. You would have thought she was fourteen the way she ran from Paw-Paw when he tried to hit the squirrel off of her head with a stick.

Paw-Paw had tried painting his room with the same paint as he used on the outside of the house to try to save money, until he found out that exterior paint really was only for the outside. The fumes from the paint were so strong that they had to leave the house for a week. So Paw-Paw wound up painting his room a dark teal which everone told him made it look like a funeral parlor.

The only way that you recognize that you are on Pecan Street now is from the road sign. You drive up to the house but the house is no longer pink, instead it’s the color of a rotted peach. The water line is so high that you wonder how your grandfather made it out alive. All of the grass is dead and the tree that the squirrel came out of is now on top of your cousin’s car. All of the windows are busted out and the inside of the car is coated with a thick layer of mud. The only thing that you recognize in it is her high-school graduation tassel hanging from the rearview miror.

You finally walk up the porch and turn the handle to the door. The door frame is swollen from the water so you have to push hard. Before the door opens the stench is so strong that you are not even sure that you still want to go in. But you put your hand to your nose, not that is helps much, and proceed. The first things you see are ruined pictures all over the water rottened floor. The only one that you can really make out is your Cousin Victoria’s first communion pictures. Everything else is a glob of mold and color. You try to go to the back part of the house only to realize that all of the rooms are covered in thick mold, and you wonder if you should even be there at all. But you have to see everything; you can’t leave until you see everything.

Your grandfather’s teal room now blends in with the mold, and the picture of a fruit bowl that you painted when you were seven is still in its frame on the wall, but it’s barely recognizable. All of his hunting guns are scattered everywhere and covered with rust, Maw-Maw never liked them anyways. The mounted deer head that was above his bed is now lying on the floor with mud almost covering it as if someone had tried to bury it. Your grandmother’s room now only consists of a broken bed and her dresser. All of the storage bins that she had accumulated over the years that were filled with every useless thing she had ever gotten from the Goodwill store are no longer there; they floated out of the hole made by the tree in her wall.

You try to walk into the kitchen but the stench is too horrible. The Coke bottles on the counter still all have your grandfather’s gum on the lids, a habit he never could break. Every piece of gum that he ever finished chewing always either went on the lid of a soft drink or on the top of one of his hats. No matter how hard you tried not get his gum on your hand when you went to get something to drink you always wound up touching it. The snowman tablecloth that was kept on the table all year long is still on the table, just slightly dirtier that it already was. Your mother had begged your grandmother to get another one, but she said that it was her favorite tablecloth. No one could ever make her take it off.

“Submerged, London Avenue Canal”Silver Gelatin PrintJonathan TaubeVisual Arts, Level III

OF NOTE

Page 13

This year’s college scholarship award average of more than $60,000 per NOCCA|Riverfront graduate was slightly better than last year’s average, despite the challenges of the year. Sixty-nine graduates earned $4.25 million in scholarships, merit awards and aid to college in May 2006. One hundred and ten students earned $6.5 million in scholarships and aid in 2005. (These amounts do not include TOPS scholarships.)

The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts|Riverfront received the National Recognition for Excellence in Arts Programs for Youth Award from Americans for the Arts. The award, which had only been given to two schools previously, was presented at the Conference of Mayors’ Luncheon in Washington D.C. in January. In attendance were Gary Wood, President & CEO of NOCCA|Riverfront; Sally Perry, Executive Director of The NOCCA Institute; Music Department Chair Michael Pellera; and Jazz students Max Moran, Joey Peebles and Nick Sanders, below left with former Senator John Breaux. The jazz students performed for both the mayors and the Congressional Arts Caucus (below right, with Max Moran on bass.)

The NOCCA|Riverfront Jazz Division has been awarded a grant from the French American Cultural Exchange to sup-port the travel of up to ten jazz students to the internationally renowned Jazz in Marciac festival in Marciac, France.

Theatre Department students from Drama, Musical Theatre, and Theatre Design traveled to Chicago in January for the National Unified Auditions. Sixteen seniors were able to audition before college and conservatory BFA programs from across the country at this one event.

Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, and Yacub Addy with Odadaa! conducted rehearsals of Marsalis and Addy’s new work “Congo Square” at NOCCA|Riverfront this spring. The cross-cultural

collaboration celebrated the African rhythms, songs and dances performed in Congo Square from the mid 1700s to the late 1800s. NOCCA|Riverfront music students were invited to attend one of the rehearsals and spoke with alumnus Marsalis regarding the creation and performance of the new work.

Awards this year were won by students in the following presti-gious national and regional competitions: • 4 students were recognized by the National Arts Recognition and Talent Search;• 5 seniors were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Competition (1 finalist); • 5 students in Creative Writing and Visual Arts received national honors and Gold Key recognition in the Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition;• 2 Creative Writing students were named semi-finalists for short story in the 2006 Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Literary Award for High School Short Fiction;• 2 Media Arts students were awarded Bronze Awards at the Nunez Community College Pelican D’Or Student Film Festival; • Brighton Linge won the Body of Work Award at the Louisiana Film Festival;• Michael White won Best Music Video at the national Reel Teens Film Festival;• Media Arts students’ short Katrina videos were selected as part of Scholastic’s “Kids Reconstruct with Creativity” project.

Four NOCCA alumni graced Broadway and off- Broadway simultaneously this spring: Tony-nominated Harry Connick, Jr. in the Tony Award-winning Pajama Game; Felicia Finley in The Wedding Singer at the Al Hirschfield Theatre; Mary Catherine Garrison in the Tony-nominated The Rabbit Hole; and Wendell Pierce in Waiting for Godot at the Harlem Renaissance Theatre.

Tom

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HOW YOU CAN HELP

Name _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Date _____________________________________________________

Address ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Phone (h) _______________________________________________________Phone (o) ______________________________________________________e-mail ___________________________________________________

Please ______ Find my check enclosed in the amount of $ _________________

______ Charge my _____ Visa _____ MasterCard _____ American Express in the amount of $ ________________ Card Number _______________________________________ Expiration Date ____________________ Signature _______________________________________________________ ______ Call me with further information on the programs marked above.

Mail to: The NOCCA Institute, 2800 Chartres Street, New Orleans LA 70117, or fax to 504.940.2870. For further information, call 504.940.2900, or visit our website at www.nocca.com.

OPEN DOORS WITH FINANCIAL AID for ballet shoes, supplies, books, department fees, and summer study opportunities.

SPONSOR A VISITING MASTER ARTIST residency in dance, creative writing, costume design, vocal music or any of the six other divisions. Class(es) ($100 - $500); school year ($2,000 - $6,000).

HELP FUND PROFESSIONAL AND INDUSTRY-STANDARD TRAINING EQUIPMENT to enhance students’ education and college opportunities and regional economic vitality.

ACQUIRE BOOKS, MUSIC & RESOURCES FOR THE LIBRARY to help improve the collections of the Senator John Breaux Library for generations of future artists.

SECURE FUTURES WITH AN ENDOWMENT GIFT ensuring

excellence in education by establishing an endowment or by adding to exisiting endowments benefiting Institute programs.

NAME A SEAT IN FREDA LUPIN MEMORIAL HALL in honor or in memory of a loved one, or with a business name. ($500).

NAME A PRACTICE ROOM OR OTHER ROOM in the NOCCA|Riverfront facility.

GIVE A GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP Provide support for all of the Institute’s programs benefiting students and their training. Mem-

bers receive a 10% discount on CENTER STAGE tickets.

PROGRAM SUPPORT

NAMING AND GIFT GIVING

For a membership contribution of $60 or more, we offer a limited-edition commemorative art work by graduate Daniel Stiegler. The full-color print on ar-chival paper is signed and numbered by the artist.

To become a member of The NOCCA Institute, support a specific program, or give a gift in honor or memory of a loved one, please check a box below and provide the information requested.

PARTICIPATION

Academy of the Sacred HeartAlbanyArchbishop BlenkArchbishop ChapelleArchbishop HannanArchbishop RummelArchbishop ShawArden Cahill AcademyBelle ChasseBen Franklin HighBen Franklin ElementaryBonnabelBrother MartinCovingtonDe LaSalleDestrehanDominican, St. Mary’sDunham SchoolDutchtownE.D. White CatholicEast JeffersonEast St. John Ecole ClassiqueFontainebleauFontainebleau MiddleGrace KingHahnvilleHammondHaynes MiddleHigginsHoly CrossHoly Name of MaryHoly RosaryHome SchoolIsidore NewmanJ.L. Ory MagnetJesuitJohn EhretKarr

Life of Christ ChristianLouise McGeheeLSU Lab SchoolLusher ExtensionLusher ElementaryLutcherMandevilleMandeville JuniorMary M. BethuneMcDonogh #35McKinleyMcMainMcMain MiddleMetairie Park Country DayMount Carmel AcademyNew Orleans Math & ScienceNorthshoreO.Perry WalkerPatrick F. Taylor Science & TechnologyPearl RiverPonchatoulaReserve ChristianRiverdaleSLU Lab SchoolSt. AugustineSt. BernardSt. Louis CathedralSt. Martin’s EpiscopalSt. Mary’s AcademySt. Paul’s SeniorSt. ScholasticaSalmenSlidellTangipahoaTaraTerrebonneUrsuline AcademyVandebilt Catholic

Warren EastonWest JeffersonWoodlawnXavier PrepZachary

NATIONAL ARTS SCHOOLS WHO WELCOMED NOCCA|RIVERFRONT STUDENTS FOLLOWING HURRICANE KATRINAAlabama School of Fine ArtsBooker T. Washington School of the ArtsCaddo Parish MagnetChattanooga Center for Creative ArtsChoate Rosemary HallCoronado School of the ArtsCulver City HighGovernor’s School for the Arts, VirginiaHarrison School for the ArtsIdyllwild Arts AcademyInterlochen Arts AcademyThe Juilliard Pre-College ProgramLa Guardia ArtsLouisiana School of Math, Science & the ArtsMcKinley HighMiami Design & Architecture Senior HighMississippi School of the ArtsNorth Carolina School of the Arts

The Oxbow SchoolTexas High School for Visual & Performing ArtsWalnut Hill

With special thanks to The International Network of Performing and Visual Arts Schools and our satellite sites from January - May, 2006: Contemporary Arts Center, East Jefferson High School, Loyola University, Tulane University, V.C. Haynes Middle School and Rivertown Repertory Theatre.

NOCCA|RIVERFRONT SERVED STUDENTS FROM THE FOLLOWING PARTNER SCHOOLS IN 2005-06

The NOCCA Institute Board of Directors2005-2006

PRESIDENTMadalyn Schenk

VICE PRESIDENTSGeorge Denegre, Jr.William R. LegierE. Ralph Lupin, M.D.

TREASURERRichard Kirschman

SECRETARYChristian T. Brown

BOARD OF DIRECTORSJudge Dennis R. Bagneris, Sr.Judge Michael G. BagnerisElizabeth A. BohNancy N. Boydstun

Anne Goldman BrinkleyBrenda B. BrownJoseph M. BrunoNan Wallis GallowayArnold Gelfand, D.D.S.Julie Livaudais GeorgeJudge David S. GorbatyMason GrangerRita O. GueCharles E. Hamilton IIIWilliam H. HinesPamela C. KancherEllen M. LeeA. Kelton LongwellDenis H. McDonaldR. King MillingChristie MintzMarsden L. MoranCharmaine NevilleWilliam A. OliverHelen L. PolmerSteve F. Price, M.D.Brian Privor

Lee W. RandallElaine SchwartzCharles W. SternJean B. StickneyHarold SylvesterEve VersteegRobbie VitranoPaul WernerJoseph E. WilliamsLouis A. WilsonCarlos Luis Zervigon

HONORARY LIFETIME MEMBERSErnest G. Chachere, Ph.D.Orlin CoreyShirley Trusty CoreyEllis MarsalisDonald A. MeyerElizabeth RackWilla Slater

SELECT ADVISORY COMMITTEELeah ChaseLuba B. GladeArthur C. PulitzerPolly RenwickJoyce L. SchenewerkAnita Schon

EX-OFFICIOGary Alan Wood, President/CEO NOCCA|Riverfront

STAFFSally Perry, Executive DirectorElizabeth McMillan Dir. of DevelopmentRichard Read, Director of MarketingJackson Knowles, Associate Director of DevelopmentMonique Bloom, Office ManagerNewsletter Editor, Design, Photography: Elizabeth McMillan

The mission of The New Orleans Center for Creative Arts Institute, a non-profit organization, is to provide support and advocacy for the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts|Riverfront. The NOCCA Institute provides access to excellence in the arts for students, faculty and the community-at-large. NOCCA|Riverfront is an agency of the State of Louisiana that provides the highest quality pre-professional arts-training for high school students.

Back cover art,:“My Story” acrylic on board

Charles ChaissonVisual Arts Level IV

Visit w

ww

.nocca.com for Fall, 2006 student perform

ances

Non-Profit Orgn.U.S. Postage

PAIDNew Orleans, LA

Permit # 583Final A

uditions 2006-07

A

ugust 14

School Begins

A

ugust 16

Dance Prepatory Program

Auditions

September 9

Audition W

orkshop: Greater N

ew O

rleans O

ctober 28

Audition W

orkshop: Statewide Students

Novem

ber 4

CALEN

DA

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AU

DITIO

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Faculty Exhibition

Septem

ber

MU

SIC DEPA

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Winter C

oncert

Decem

ber 1 7:00 p.m

.

Ronald K

. Brow

n Dance C

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TB

Ain collaboration w

ith New

Orleans B

alletA

ssociation

Public Performances in M

usic, Theatre, &C

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ugust.

CENTER

STAG

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CERT SERIES, Lupin H

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Tickets for student performances: $5. For reservations and further

information, visit our w

ebsite at ww

w.nocca.com

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STUD

ENT PER

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MA

NCES

This issue of Aspirationshas been graciously

underwritten by

THE NOCCA INSTITUTE

2800 Chartres StreetNew Orleans, LA 70117504.940.2900